Steve Schmitt's Personal Roping Spurs

Steve Schmitt's Personal Roping Spurs
Sterling overlaid spurs with 1 1/4" blunt point rowels and twisted copper rope edge, personalized with Steve's raised "SS" initials on the heelbands separated by a jewelers bronze horse & rider. Basket stamped two-piece leathers by Gary Keithly with silver buckles and tips, adorned with impressive 1 1/2" engraved sterling cochos with twisted jewelers bronze rope edge and mounted with a gold snaffle bit and a bosal. The spurs are unmarked but include a Letter of Authentication from Steve Schmitt as follows:

At a stage in my equine career, I moved from only roping and cowboying to training and showing snaffle bit, cowhorse and reining horses. Hence, I needed a higher shanked spur with effective yet softer rowel. And of course subtleness has never been a strength of mine. If you look hard, thay can be seen in the attached photo of Kris King and I horse roping in Grandview, Idaho. To help, I took my feet out of the stirrups!

"Sounded good at the time", being my motto. I thought a rope edge around the entire spur would be awesome. And it was, except what a pain in the patooy, And it made engraving challenging to say the least. So much so, I never did it again, no matter how much someone asked. The straps were made by Gary Keithley when we shared a shop in Caldwell, Idaho.

The end result, a wonderful using spur with great balance that set my heal well. And if my talents were a little better, would have "spurred" me to even more victories. Fine condition, circa 1990s.

Steve Schmitt (b. 1952)
Growing up in Texas, Steve developed an early love for both horses and for the cowboy way of life. At 18, he headed north to travel the west and while working at cow camp one winter, fate intervened. Steve needed new spurs but, being short of cash and a long way from town, he fashioned his first pair using horseshoe rasps. He used them for several years and soon began making spurs for other cowboys in the area.

Steve ended up in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia where he studied Agriculture, obtained a degree in Animal Sciences and met the love of his life. After college, Steve, and his bride, Carol, moved to Alberta, where in turn he became manager of a western store and saddlery, livestock manager at a bull facility, and horse trainer and salesman at a large Nutrena feed store.

Always striving for excellence, Schmitt attended the Miller Bit and Spur School in the 1980s and moved to Idaho to apprentice with the renowned Elmer Miller for two years. While fine-tuning his skills as a bit & spur maker and silversmith, Steve also rode and learned equestrian skills from the best horseman in the region as he competed in reining, cutting and roping events while doing day work on ranches.

Steve enjoyed the challenge of building a good bridle bit and often tried it on a horse before deciding to embellish it with silver. It was in the early 1990s when Steve developed a lifelong respect and intense passion for the California Vaquero tradition which is often reflected in his stunning work.

Steve and Carol, after raising two accomplished children, moved to Sonoita, Arizona where they operated the High Noon Tack and Feed Store from 2003 to 2018. Although Steve has now retired from building bits and spurs, he continues to remain very busy with his diverse projects, animals and spiritual travel accompanied by his adoring and adorable wife, Carol.